Current-motor.



No. 810,314. PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906. A. WIEBKE & R. E. GRUWBLL. CURRENTMOTOR.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 28, 1905.

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A. WIEBKE & R. E. GRUWELL. CURRENT MOTOR APPLICATION FILED JAN. 28,1905.

Y/fizawea 4% g I ma l UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST WIEBKE AND ROBERT E. GRUVVELL, OFv MILES CITY, MONTANA.

CURRENT-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

.To LZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, AUGUST VVIEBKE and ROBERT E. GRUWELL, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Miles City, in the county of Custer andState of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCurrent-Motors and we do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

Our invention relates to current-motors of the general characterdisclosed in the application of August Wiebke, Serial N 0. 216,463,filed July 14, 1904, and has for its object generally to improve currentmotors of this type.

To the above ends the invention consists of the novel devices andcombinations of de vices hereinafter described, and defined in theclaims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein likecharacters in dicate like partsthroughout both views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved motor, and Fig. 2 is a verticalsection taken on the line 03- x of Fig. 1.

The numeral 1 indicates boat-like floats which are rigidly tied togetherby timbers 2 to form a raft which carries the motor, pump, andconnections between the same. As shown, three floats 1 are employed, andthese are spaced apart to afford spaces in which work a pair ofwater-wheels 3, the shafts 4 of which are loosely ournaled in bearings 5on said floats, extend in axial alinement therewith, but are separatedat their abutting ends.

The numeral 6 indicates a spur-gear which is mounted loosely on theadjacent ends of the two shafts 4 and the hub of which is pro vided ateach end with a half-clutch 7. Sliding half-clutches 8 are carried, oneby eachshaft 4, are keyed to revolve with the respective shafts, andcooperate one with each of the half clutches 7. Levers 9 suitablymounted on the central float, control the movements and positions of thetwo sliding half-clutches. The gear 6, while loose for rotation withrespect to the shafts 4, is by suitable means (not shown) held againstlateral movements thereon. Said gear 6 meshes with a spur-gear 10,carried by a crankshaft 11, mounted in bearings 12 on the central float1 and provided at its ends with cranks 13, that extends in diametricallyopposite directions.

The sliding half-clutches 8 are so set on the shafts 4 and are sorelated to the half-clutches 7 that when both are engaged with theirrespective half-clutches 7 the blades of the one water-wheel will standcircumferentially halfway between the blades of the other waterwheel,thereby giving a continuous application of power. Each water wheel hasone blade which is pivotally mountedfor movement into an inoperativeposition, and this is best accomplished by pivotally connecting the arms3 of said movable blade at 14 to radial stub-arms 15 of the cooperatingshaft 4. To lock the said arms 3 in radial or operative positions, asshown in the drawings, lock-bolts 16 are mounted for sliding movementsin suitable bearings on the stub-arms 15 and are provided withlock-fingers 17, that are adapted to enter perforations in the innerends of said arms-i 6., light springs 18 react against the stub-arms 15and against shoulders on the lock-bolts to normally hold thelock-fingers 17 in engagement with the said arms 3. As is evident, bytaking hold of the finger-piece 19 at the outer end of the rod 16 anddrawing upward thereon the pivotallymovable blade of the wheel may bereleased at will, thereby rendering the wheel inoperative. It may behere remarked that the water-wheels will run at such speed that the saidfinger-piece 19 maybe easily engaged by a person standing in thevicinity thereof.

The pumps, ofwhich there is one for each waterwheel, are of thecylinder-and-piston type and are set upright, with their long cylinders20 rigidly secured to the central float 1 and with their lower endsopening through the bottom of said float. Near their upper ends thecylinders 20 are provided with discharge-spouts 21. The piston-rods 22at their upper ends are connected to the forward ends of long levers 23,which levers are pivoted at their intermediate portions to the upperends of long uprights 24, that are also rigidly secured to the centralfloat 1. The rear ends of the levers 23 are connected one to each of thecranks 13 of the shaft 11 by long connecting rods 25. The said twovpumps are therefore thrown into action in alternate orderthat is, thepiston of the one pump is given its operative upward stroke while thepiston of the other pump is being given its inoperative downward stroke,and vice versa.

l/Vhen the pivoted blade of the water-wheel is tripped and renderedinoperative, it is desirable to positively sto' the wheel in a positionin which no one 0 its fixed blades will project into the water. Toaccomplish this, we provide for each water-wheel a stop, preferably inthe form of a sliding bar 26, mount-,

ed in suitable bearings 27 on the timbers 2 and provided with a prongedhead 28, adapted to engage the edge of one of the fixed blades of thewheel. The slides 26 are preferably moved by levers 29, pivoted at 30 toone of the beams 2.

The device described, while extremely simple, is efficient for thepurposes had in view, and under the force of a running stream willelevate water to very great heights. The floating support should ofcourse be anchored in the stream. It may be assumed that the currentflows and that the wheels turn in the directions indicated by the arrowsmarked on Fig. 1. To stop the Wheel when its movable blade has beentripped or released, the stop-head 28 should be projected into the pathof movement of the released blade while the latter is moving downward.This bein done, the said blade will be caused to move %ackward againstthe blade which follows it and will then stop the wheel in a position inwhich no one of the blades of the wheel will project into the water.

By means of the clutch devices described either one or both of thewheels may be coupled tothe crank-shaft 11, and thus a variablepowerdevice is afforded. The water discharged from the spouts of the twopumps may be carried ofl either by independent or by a common trough orspout. (Not shown.)

From what has been said it will be understood that the device describedis capable ofabove the water-line, said water-wheel having a blademovable pivotally into an inoperative position, and a lock for securingsaid blade in operative position and for releasing the same,substantially as described.

2. The combination with a support, of a water-wheel mounted thereon,with its axis above the water, said wheel having a pivoted blade movableinto an inoperative position, and a stop mounted on said support andmovable into the path of the blades of the wheel, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination with a floating support, of a water-wheel mounted onsaid support, with its axis above the water, said wheel having a blademovable pivotally into an inoperative position, a lock for securing saidblade in an operative position, and for releasing the same, and a stopmounted on said support and movable into the path of the blades of saidwheel, to positively stop said wheel when its pivoted blade is released,substantially as described.

4. The combination with a floating support, of a pair of water-wheelsmounted thereon, with their shafts in axial alinement, a gear looselymounted on the adjacent ends of the two shafts, a pair of clutches forconnecting said wheels to said gear, arranged to couple said wheels withthe blades of the one set ahead of the blades of the other, a gearmeshing with the aforenoted gear, a pair of oppositelyprojecting cranksconnected to said latter gear, a pair of pumps mounted on said support,and connections between said two pumps and said two cranks,substantially as described. I

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

AUGUST .WIEBKE. ROBERT E. GRUWELL.

Witnesses:

ROBERT C. MABEY, F. D. MERCHANT.

